It's My Birthday and I'll Eat Ice Cream if I Want To

You know how one can tell if she is really, truly, 23?

The age changed automatically in her blogger profile. On a blue note, grad apps have made me so wound-up that several months ago, my friend and I figured out that I was having my quarter-life crisis (there was a point that I was considering to screw academia and go to law school, which for my friend was a troubling reaction to see from me, considering I never said a peep about law school before). I have always been a bit mature for my age (so people tell me) so I wasn't surprised that it came at 22 as opposed to 25.

I am 23. Hmm. Interesting. It has a nice ring to it. 22 is still too close to 21, the "Yeah! I'm finally legal! LET'S PARTY!" age.

Life is like wine - it gets better with age.

And I truly mean that. I am still in my early 20's but 20-22 was awkward. I'm looking forward to my mid and late 20s.

For my birthday, I celebrated twice. Last Friday, I went with Waiyee for Indian food, and to the Light-Up at Kiyomizu-Dera. Kiyo is very famous for it's fall foliage. So famous that the place is crowded with tourists and the temple extends it's hours till 9:30pm with strategic lighting displays. For all its touristyness, it was very pretty. That white stick in the third picture is Kyoto Tower. It's downright ghastly close-up, but gorgeous at night. The view of the city from Kiyo is amazing (I have been there once before when Justine came in June).

The Indian food? DELICIOUS. I have had a craving for Indian food for while. It's a chain, and they opened a branch in mine and Waiyee's neighborhood. Reason number 13454 why I love my neighborhood. Affordable (1300yen for a dinner set), AUTHENTIC (it's run by Indians) and tasty (with 5 different levels of spicy; I had level 3) Indian food.

After Kiyomizu, we walked up back to Shijo and had cake, to which Waiyee treated me at Lipton. I had a waffle with bananas, vanilla and chocolate mousse ice cream and chocolate syrup and English Breakfast tea. I was stuffed.

Today, I went to Very Berry on Nijo-Kawaramachi with some girls from the study abroad class that I became friends with. Very Berry is an institution, with American style sundaes. I always make it a point to have ice cream on my birthday; as a winter baby I never really had ice cream cakes as a kid. Now, I make sure I have ice cream every year.

Most of them had not been to the Nijo-Kawaramachi branch (it is a chain, I have been to the one in Teramachi). Alisa and I went to it the first time in September, and loved it. It was in a restored machiya which adds a lot of charm to the place.

Yum! Emily and I split a club sandwich of cream cheese, avocado and salsa - on my way back home, I stopped at the supermarket and got the ingredients for it, hmm, might make one again! We also split a raspberry sundae.

I had a lot of fun. I also got some cute gifts which they really, truly didn't have to, but it was very nice of them. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics of the sundaes, but don't worry. Very Berry won't be going anywhere and I KNOW I am going back. Again. Many. more. times. In the meantime, you can drool over their menu.

When I got back home, I actually wanted to listen to some classical music, but I deleted some stuff off my iTunes in a deleting frenzy (I still have the CDs back home). So I browsed on iTunes and picked out Yo-Yo Ma's "Bach: The Cello Suites." Amazing, relaxing music to listen too. I heard some other stuff which was good, but for now a solo cello is good for concentration. I might get this Renaissance chorale CD in a week or two, once my mind is not so frazzled anymore.

I submitted School E, aka the application from hell. Thank god that one is done.
Tomorrow: School D. By the end of this week is Schools B and H for sure (I want to mail out my supplementary materials, THEN click the "submit" button.)

By the end of this weekend, I will have Schools A and G done. All that is left are essays for this fellowship (since I had to submit SOMETHING for that for School E, I have it like 90% done) and financial aid application, which all the schools don't require.

Bite Me in the Bum, Why Don't You

Maybe it was a sign.

Or karma?

First off, it's my birthday today and I am still working on grad apps. I told myself I wouldn't do that, but deadlines are deadlines, and I am at the "checking-afraid to press the submit button" stage. School C is done. I meant to do School F yesterday but I had a little problem.

You see, I was cleaning out some stuff off my hard drive which involved multiple copies of my personal statement.

I ended up deleting one of the two essays for Schools E and F. Oh $%*&^.

So, whilst wishing I had Leopard for my Mac because of the Time Machine feature, I tried to use some data recovery programs. But I had to pay to get all the features. Pfft.

Luckily, I had a draft on my USB stick, so I banged it out again and actually polished it a bit. Submitted it this morning (Side note: Schools B and H are ready to go, but I am afraid to click on the "submit" button. Once I mail out my stuff next week, then I know it's for real and will click on that button.).

This was a bit of deja vu for me. Why?

The day before I had to mail out my application for my scholarship, I forgot to email it to myself from work. In the summer the office was closed on Fridays. So I had to re-write the WHOLE thing. I didn't have a draft backed up. Nothing.

And as all of you know, I ended up with the scholarship.

So maybe this is a sign. It bites me in the bum but still, one can hope this is a sign for the good since the last time, it turned out very nicely.

Oh Yes, Wait a Minute Mister Postman

I really don't get a lot of mail in Japan. My sister STILL has not sent me her postcard to me from Italy - HINT HINT Little Sister if you are reading this - and the only thing I get on a regular basis are bills.

No, I don't like mail like that. That sort of mail does not count.

This month looks to be a banner month for mail, because of swaps, birthday and Christmas. I LOVE getting mail.

So imagine my joy when I saw a bright pink bubble envelope poking out of my mailbox. In the mailbox was the package from my birthday swapper! I sent out her package yesterday (big holiday last weekend so no post office for most of the latter end of last week) and in it was yarn. Smooshy, smooshy yarn!

Specifically, Patons SWS in "Natural Denim" - 70% wool, 30% soy in a beautiful variegated blue. I also got a knitting magazine called "Knit Simple" and it has CABLE patterns! I am totally addicted to cable patterns - like I mentioned to my swapper, I am learning how to cable without a cable needle. Squee!!!

I like mail.
I like yarn.

I also like knowing that the second essay for schools E & F is done. All that's left is the fellowship essay - I have my points, but right now I really don't care much for it because if I get into the school, they give me funding anyway. So this is just a supplemental thing, and for the other schools I can tweak it more because they are due in January, and even February, but I will get them done before Christmas. School E wants it this-very-minute, along with the application.

Boo to School E, but yeah for yarn! Smooshy, smooshy yarn.

Mel Goes a Knittin'

Haha. To some extent, I wish.

He tells me this morning what kind of yarn I want, and that he heard of this store called String, on the UES - it's in Zagat. Have I heard of it?

Of course I have heard of it. It's the Bergdorf of yarn stores. It sells Koigu Cashmere for $50. For ONE skein.

Go figure that he picks the yarn store in Zagat - that is his Bible.

I told him not to get me yarn. While I do love the idea of people getting me nice yarn and appreciate it, and it is really sweet how The Aussie came up with the idea all on his own (which is his affirmation of my newfound hobby, and shows that he doesn't think I am trifling here) in my current situation (me being in Japan), yarn is no good.

I know some of you will be thinking, "The man wants to buy you CASHMERE. What the heck are you thinking, telling him no?"

I am not being picky here. Thing is, I can make only so many hats for myself in Japan, since expensive yarn = not so much yarn. It is also the question of space, and me moving back home in less than 4 months (where did the time go?). It's kind of silly for him to send me something that I won't use, only to bring it back with me. Yarn is smooshy, but I don't want the nice stuff to get squished.

I don't want him to spend so much money, since I am trying to be the sort of knitter that picks the pattern, then gets the yarn. Or if I do an impulse buy, I better find a pattern for it quick. Swaps of course, are totally exempt from this rule; making your stash bigger is a lot of fun. I did say I was "trying" - that being the operative word.

I don't have much space - nor funds - for a lot of yarn so thinking "economy" and "lack of space" is the way to go. One plastic drawer is all I got here, folks. And that sucker better be empty by the time I go on my next yarn binge.

So in lieu of fancy yarn - since he STILL wanted to get me something - I asked for fancy sticks. Yes, we call my knitting needles "sticks." It just stuck. Pardon the pun.

In particular, Lantern Moon needles, size 9, 10" long. Don't mind which color. It is also my dream to have all my needles from Lantern Moon - I love wooden needles. Good chance to start now no? I think they are birthday-worthy sticks myself. Needles, I can use. Like the day I get them in the mail. Yarn? Might wait awhile.

I am also very proud of Mel - he may scoff at the idea of me teaching him how to knit, but he will not balk at going to a knitting store. What a man.

Although he pointed out that he wanted me to get cashmere so I can knit HIM hats.

Ice Cream and Birthdays

December 1 was my birthday, and I turned 22. According to Mel, I am officially “in my twenties” now – I am done with that year known as 21, which is known for one finally being able to drink legally in the United States. In Japan, the drinking/smoking age is 20, England and most of Europe is 18 and in Greece and other parts of Europe its whenever. So once your are done with 21 and begin 22 the fun is supposedly over – at least that immature-ish stuff. Probably. Most of my friends (except for one because she skipped a year of high school and in essence graduated college even younger than me) turned 22 when they were still in college; as they bemoaned the fact that they are becoming “old” and still in college, I snickered at them gleefully saying that I was STILL 21 and in college.

When I came to Japan people (both Japanese and non-US) would ask my age and would be totally shocked at the fact that I was 21 and already graduated college. My main reason was that I was born late in the year, and the NYC Board of Education doesn’t have a cut-off date for entry into kindergarten. So when I started kindergarten, I still wasn’t 5 but according to my mom I was going to be left back.

But now, I am in Japan and you all are probably wondering how I spent my birthday, if I haven’t told you yet. I spent my morning moving into my new apartment. It took about 5 trips to lug all my stuff from the house-on-the-hill-with-steps-that-will-make-me-fall-and-break-my-neck to ground level. Since I was going down as opposed to up a hill, it was pretty easy. After her class, Colleen came and helped me with the final two trips and saw what I had to go through every day when I wanted to use my bike. Pretty much I had to make sure that my bike doesn't fall out of my hands going down, and that it doesn’t fall on ME going up. And since the stairs aren’t paved, I really didn’t want to wear any of my “nice” shoes for fear that I will slip in them and that the soles will get ruined. I already need to get my navy-blue ones re-soled.

So now, I am in my new apartment and today, I am going to Nitori with Colleen to get some furniture for my room. Nitori is the Japan version of Ikea; there is an Ikea in Japan – two actually – but they are both in Tokyo. Sometimes, it’s just NOT fair at how most of the stuff is ONLY in Tokyo. I know that there is a Costco in Chiba (suburb of Tokyo) and I think that there is one near Osaka but still! Oh well, at least I was able to navigate the Nitori site without the Google translator function (yeah!) to figure out where Nitori is, and what buses I need to take.

After I moved all my stuff in – and left my apartment a disaster in the process – I went to class. In the middle of class, my landlord called me; I asked my teacher if I could go to the bathroom and practically ran out of there. Turns out, the gas company man is going to be at the apartment at 2:30 and can I be there? I thanked my lucky stars that there is a break in class at 2:30; I told my landlord that I might be a bit late. However, I finished my exercise early, told my teacher that the gas company man is going to be at my apartment at 2:30 – I do live right near Kyodai but I might be a bit late coming back to class. She said it was fine. My teacher is nice. And I get 100 % on the weekly quizzes anyways (but not this week, I was too busy with apartment stuff. Oh well).

So on the day of moving in, I have electricity, Internet and hot water. Very very lucky. Sometimes it takes maybe two weeks for the Internet and hot water, but the building is already wired, and my landlord called the companies for me.

After class, I went with Colleen, Chen and Estie (another Monbusho girl from Israel also doing Meiji history) to Ippo-do, a teashop. Unfortunately, the café part of the tea shop closes at 5pm so we couldn't have sweet; nonetheless, the road that Ippo-do is on is filled with little cafes, so we all went to one and had either butter or cinnamon toast. I had cinnamon toast with a cappuccino. Good stuff. No cake for me this year – cinnamon toast did the job quite nicely. Colleen treated my to a “kukki paafe” at lunch (cookie parfait) so I still had my sweets fix. I always make it a point to have ice cream on my birthday – I never had it as a kid b/c I am a “winter baby” so I always make sure I have it now.